


Flightless Bird

by LamiasLuck



Series: ILY [1]
Category: Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Enemies to Friends, Fist Fights, Gen, Minor Injuries, Minor Violence, Prison
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-10
Updated: 2019-11-28
Packaged: 2021-01-27 01:11:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,852
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21383626
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LamiasLuck/pseuds/LamiasLuck
Summary: After a particularly bad adventure, Illinois finds himself in a tough spot. He got arrested. So him, being the man that can't be cooped up, decides to plan his escape. However, fate has decided that he doesn't deserve something that easy. So his plans hit a bump in the road when he accidentally pisses off a certain prisoner.
Relationships: Yancy & Illinois
Series: ILY [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1570606
Comments: 11
Kudos: 78





	1. Jailbird

This wasn’t supposed to happen. It wasn’t supposed to turn out like this.

It was because he panicked. He panicked and now look what happened.

Illinois got arrested.

It was something stupid, truly. _ Oh, he shouldn’t trespass here! Oh, this is a government protected historical sight. Oh, stop resisting! _

Bullshit. An adventurer like him shouldn’t be held down like that. 

They took everything, absolutely everything. His clothes, his treasures, his dignity as a well-known adventurer. Even his hat, his goddamn _ hat. _How could they disgrace him so? At this point he knew that Lady Luck screwed him over. But it didn’t matter what he thinks, what mattered was how he was going to fix this. 

Illinois scanned his surroundings to try to spark ideas. There were lots of people - criminals - that eyed him like children to a fish tank. Lots of security, too, there was no way he could escape without losing an arm here. Alone, at least. The security looked tough, but the prisoners had their fair amount of strength by the looks of it. Either way… Illinois was probably going to charm one or the other. 

First, Illinois looked around for the “leader”. Every scene like this had one, even the toughest guy had to respect someone. He looked around for the brooding ones. Tatoos, scars, the whole nine yards. As intimidating as those guys were, Illinois was surprised with everyone flocking to some random guy. Sure, he looked pretty tough, not as tough looking as others though, and not as harsh on the eyes as Illinois assumed he’d be.

“So I heard there’s a new guy in ‘ere?” the man asked, voice booming over the sea of prisoners. Immediately everyone looked at Illinois. Yep, this was _ definitely _the leader.

The man paced slowly to Illinois, crossing his arms while puffing out his chest. He even had a different aura than the other prisoners. He was clearly in charge and knew that fact very well. Illinois kept his face neutral as the man stood in front of him.

“Allow me to give youse a warm welcome.” He opened his arms and gestured to everyone else. “I’m Yancy, glad to meet ya.”

“Name’s Illinois, it’s a pleasure. However, I’m afraid I can’t stay for too long,” he explained, quirking an eyebrow at Yancy’s confused expression. 

“Why’s that?” 

“Adventure calls, my friend~” No one reacted to his charming attitude. At least, no good reactions. “There’s been a mistake, I’m afraid. I shouldn’t be here.”

“Oh come on! It’s not so bad ‘ere. Youse are gonna fit right in.” The prisoners began to exchange suspicious looks amongst each other before staring at Illinois again. They fidgeted while Yancy talked. 

“I’m sorry, but you don’t understand.” Illinois’ composure cracked. “I can’t be kept here. They can’t keep someone like me here!”

“Well… what ‘someone’ are youse?” Yancy’s tone turned cold and in an instant the other prisoners glared at him. Illinois glanced between all of their hostile gazes, like a pack of wolves to a rabbit. Looks like he upset the pack leader. 

He caught himself panicking again. If panicking in his adventure got him in jail, who knows what could happen if he panicked here? He certainly wasn’t charming the prisoners at this rate. 

“I mean no offense, Yancy.” Illinois raised his hands as if he were surrendering. “I’m just an adventurer, a thrillseeker, if you will. I’m sure this place is as charming as you say, but it’s just not for me.”

“Oh, I see…” Yancy turned to the others, smiling like the Chesire cat. A simple chuckle from him sent the group in fits of laughter. “We gots ourselves one of ‘em _ freebirds, _yeah?” 

“I guess you could say that.” Illinois ignored everyone’s judging looks, stepping closer to Yancy and leaning in. “I was hoping you could help free this bird,” he whispered. 

Yancy laughed again. “As if,” he sneered.

Illinois huffed, but still cracked a tight smile. “Is that how’s it’s going to be, _ jailbird? _” He tilted his head, which caused Yancy to scowl. “Then don’t worry about me. I’ll find another way out of here.” He turned on his heels to saunter off, only for Yancy to grab him by the shoulders and turn him around again. 

“Youse think you’re so special, yeah? Well, hate to break it to youse,” Yancy pretended to ponder to himself, “No, actually I’d _ love _to break it to youse! You’re no better than any other scumbag in ‘ere.” He shoved Illinois away from him, the adventurer stumbled but caught himself. “And if I gotta show you,” he went into a fighting stance, “I’m more than happy to welcome youse.”

Illinois’ eyes widen. The other prisoners began to cheer and encourage Yancy’s actions. He raised his hands up again in a surrendering gesture. “I’m not here to fight.”

“Then you’re here to get beaten up.”

Illinois was never one for fights, as shown by his unsure movements and seconds too late reactions. It was surprising how often his personality got him out of trouble. Though, Lady Luck really must hate him today. 

Illinois fell to the ground after a hard hit to the jaw. He groaned and clutched his face, barely registering the chorus of laughs above him. Yancy snickered and turned his back to face the crowd.

“All bark, no bite.” Admittedly, he had his fair amount of bruises and cuts, but he was still standing. He ran his tongue over his busted lip as he reveled in the other’s impressed cheers. He tasted bitter blood and sweet victory at the same time. 

A deep frown was plastered on Illinois’ face as he stared up at Yancy through a bruised eye. He clenched his fists. Even if Illinois was never good with fights, he was always resourceful. 

Yancy fell to the ground with a yelp when Illinois landed a sharp kick to his shins. Before he could react, Illinois dug his knee into his chest and punched him. “I’m not done yet, jailbird,” Illinois growled at the dazed prisoner. He never let Yancy recover as he threw punch after punch. “I _ am _ getting out of here. One way or another.” He raised his hand once more, only to be abruptly grabbed from behind. 

“Now what is going on here?!” the warden called out from within the crowd. The guard that grabbed Illinois’ arm pulled him up and twisted his arms behind his back in a painful angle. Yancy received the same treatment, staring fearfully as the warden slowly approached. 

“Let me go-!” Illinois gasped.

“Well what do we have here?” The warden stood in front of Illinois. “You just shown up and you’re already starting fights?” He shook his head.

“He started it,” he replied, glaring at Yancy.

“Now that’s not a surprise…” the warden sighed and turned on his heels. Yancy continued to cower in his presence. “What have I told you, boy? You can’t keep doing this.”

“W-Warden,” Yancy stuttered, “Youse don’t understand I-”

“Send him to solitary!” Immediately the guard escorted Yancy out of the room, ignoring his desperate pleads. The warden turned back to Illinois and pointed at him. “And you.”

Illinois swallowed the lump in his throat, breathing heavily. 

“You’re going to get a warning, new guy.” He gave him a hard pat on the shoulder and gripped harshly. “But if I ever, and I mean _ ever, _ hear another _ peep _outta you… well, you won’t want to hear the punishment. Is that understood?”

“Yes, sir.” He nodded frantically.

“Take him to his cell.” 

This jail must love to surprise Illinois. His cell was oddly homey upon first glance. Besides the dull grey walls, it was decorated like a cheap hotel room, which was more than he could expect. There was even a small TV in the corner! Still, Illinois ignored it all in favour for rest. His head throbbed in pain. At least the guards had the decency to give him bandaids and cleaned the blood. There was a bunk bed that Illinois gladly hopped up on top of. The bed creaked which only added to his growing headache.

The silence was killing him. 

A pained groan was the only sound in the confined room. Illinois covered his eyes with his arm and tried to get some sleep. The gravity of the situation was like a boulder crushing every fibre of his being. Even thinking about staying cooped up away from society - away from adventure - was hell. 

He doesn’t keep track of how long he slept, but eventually he hears the cell door unlock and someone shuffle in. A cellmate was a thought that barely crossed his mind, but he had no energy to complain.

“Youse got a deathwish? That’s _ my _bunk,” a familiar voice said.

_ Oh, fuck. _

Illinois cracked one eye open and, yep, Yancy stood before him with that same pissed off look. At this point he was surprised that a laugh track didn’t start playing at his misfortune. While he didn’t have enough energy to complain about his situation, he _ did _have the energy to be snarky.

“I didn’t realize I was dealing with prison royalty here,” Illinois grumbled. “Why don’t you take the bottom bunk tonight? Less work for you.” He covered his eyes again and pretended to ignore the fuming prisoner.

“Why don’t you sleep in a ditch? Youse ain’t gonna last one more day with this shitty attitude.” Yancy snapped.

“I don’t care…”

Yancy blinked in surprise. “What?”

“I said, I don’t care,” He uncovered his eyes briefly to glare at Yancy, but quickly laid back down. “We already fought. Just sleep for god’s sake.” 

Yancy stood dumbfounded. As much as he wanted to argue back, he was quite tired as well. All the bandages in the world didn’t help him stop swaying from nausea, nor did it help in in the dark cramped room of solitary. So he frowned and collapsed on the bottom bunk. Just for today, of course, because no new guy was going to boss him around like that.

“I won, by the way,” Yancy huffed, glaring at the top bunk as if Illinois could see him.

“Tell yourself that, jailbird. Maybe you’ll sleep better.” Illinois grunted when he suddenly felt Yancy kick his bed. This was going to be a long and excruciating adventure… 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HOW have I not written an “enemies to friends” fic yet?? This is SO fun! I love these bois so much… and yet I make them beat each other up. It really be like that. It’ll be fine though, maybe. I have the whole plot down but it’ll take me some time.


	2. Open Cages

“Youse missed a spot.”

Illinois looked at the plate he was washing. It was absolutely spotless. “What are you talking abo-”

Yancy flicked water at him, wetting the other’s face. “There. I got it for ya,” he laughed. 

“God, I hate you…” he did his best to wipe his face on his sleeve, “So very much.”

“Just a lil’ water, freebird!”

At least they weren’t punching the daylights out of each other now. Though their relationship sure wasn’t envious. Considering the rocky start it was okay, but that was only cause of the prison jobs pairing them together. Neither were sure why they kept getting paired together on the jobs. Maybe the guards wanted to see some fights. However, if they fought every time they had to wash the dishes or do the laundry then they’d both be reduced to bloody pulp. 

After the dishes were cleaned, the pair were instructed to go outside with the rest of the prisoners for fresh air. 

“ _ Fresh air”, as if we have any freedom…  _ Illinois frowned to himself as he followed the guard. 

His plans had been halted after the initial fight. Everyone grew weary of him after it happened. Guards kept a close eye on him and the prisoners gave him the cold shoulder. Honestly, he was surprised that Yancy didn’t tell anyone to kill him yet, but maybe he saw how torturous jail was for him. It became a habit for Illinois to stare up at the sky, at the clouds, birds, or whatever the hell decided to pass this miserable cage. He was never one for cloud gazing, but it kept him sane. He recalls looking down at the clouds when he scaled mountains.

“What’re youse looking at?” Yancy suddenly stood beside him while leaning against a wall. 

“What do you want?” Illinois sighed, not breaking his gaze upwards. 

“Just asking youse a question,” Yancy replied. He kept his gaze forward, towards the other inmates frolicking about. 

A bird soared passed by. As Illinois stared, his eyes followed its trail for as long as he could. When it was gone, he closed his eyes. “It’s nothing you’d be interested in, jailbird.”

“The hell’s that supposed to mean?” Yancy clicked his tongue and stood in front of Illinois, arms crossed. He jabbed a finger in the other’s chest, startling him to open his eyes. “I dunno which I hate more, youse giving me attitude or youse being so fucking sad all the time.”

_ Christ… he always wants to fight, huh?  _ Illinois chuckled and flashed a charming smile, though his eyes stayed unreadable. “Well~ You could just, I dunno, leave me alone?”

Yancy scoffed. “Look, I understand that-” He had more words on his tongue, but was interrupted by a nearby scream. Both men snapped their attention to the sound. A guard had pinned a prisoner to the ground, though none of them recalled anyone making a big scene.

“Oh, this fuckin’ guy again…” Yancy cracked his knuckles and walked away. The guard causing a scene was new, and he definitely didn’t leave a good impression this past month. 

Illinois watched as Yancy interfered, aggressive as per usual. The prisoner pinned to the ground looked near to tears and pleaded to be let go. 

“Ay,” Yancy called out, “Get your dirty hands off Tiny! She didn’t do nothin’!” He marched over to the guard and loomed over him. However, the guard didn’t look the tiniest bit scared and stood up too, challenging him. Other prisoners dragged Tiny away, but kept their distance from the two. 

“Back off scumbag! You shouldn’t interfere,” the guard scolded.

“And youse shouldn’t treat her like that!” Yancy snapped. He shoved the guard away, only for him to reach for his baton. Everyone winced when Yancy hit the floor. The guard had struck him hard over the head and laughed as Yancy struggled to stand up. 

“Maybe that’ll knock some sense into you.” Giving him not a second to recover, the guard forced Yancy to his feet while pinning his hands back. “Your ass is going to solitary,” he hissed.

The world spun around him and his ears rang with a sharp pain. Yancy could only respond with a groan as he let himself get taken away.

Once they were gone, the rest of the prisoners stood stock still as they took in what had happened. Illinois felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end.

“Yancy didn’t deserve that!” A prisoner broke the silence. The rest erupted in agreement, roaring protests against Yancy’s treatment. It was starting to get out of hand, much to the rest of the guard’s dismay. Illinois kept his distance while the crowd got rowdy. For once, no one caring about him helped, better than being in the middle of a riot. However, someone snuck up on him while his back was turned, holding him still with a strong grip. 

Illinois nearly jumped out of his skin at the contact. He slowly turned his head at the culprit. To his relief, it was just the warden.

“You should go back to your cell,” the warden warned, staring at the increasingly violent crowd. Illinois gladly complied.

Whatever happened at that riot didn’t sound good. From his cell, Illinois saw guards running about and forcing prisoners back to their cells. There was some solace in the tv at least. He sat down on the bottom bunk and flipped through the shows. The cheesy sitcoms the jail didn’t block were almost enough to take Illinois’ mind off things. Almost.

The images of Yancy being struck to the ground stuck with him. As much as he disliked the guy, who the hell deserved that? Not the guy that stood up for someone in need, that’s for sure. He frowned as a laugh track played for some terrible joke.

Hours of flipping through the tv and Illinois grew drowsy. He doesn’t remember falling asleep, but he snapped awake when he heard the cell door’s creak open. Another guard ushered Yancy in, paying mind to his nauseated state. Yancy stumbled and leaned against the wall. Even the sounds of the door squeaking shut made him grimace. The two of them stared at each other in silence before Yancy managed to mumble something.

“Move.”

Without hesitation Illinois got up. “I thought you’d want-” Yancy collapsed onto the bed. “-the top bunk.” 

“I don’t care… Can’t fuckin’ jump up there anyways.” Yancy flipped on his back and lazily blinked at the other. He couldn’t find the energy to mess with him. He couldn’t find the want to.

Illinois nodded and jumped up, not wanting to linger any longer. For a moment he saw how puffy and red Yancy’s eyes were. For a moment he saw weakness.

It was surprising that any of them could breathe, considering how tense the air was. Both of them were wide awake. 

“That guard’s… a bit of work,” Illinois broke the silence, voice soft with no bite.

“Tell me ‘bout it,” Yancy groaned, burying his head in the pillows. “He showed up before youse came along. Breathe on him wrong an’ he’ll flip out.”

“Sounds tough.” Yancy merely grumbled in response. Illinois was surprised that he didn’t snap at him for talking. It could be that he was too tired to tell him to shut up, but he chose his words carefully nonetheless. “Reminds me of one of my old associates… she was an interesting one.”

“Oh yeah? Great to know there’s always shitbags around.”

“Yeah, she always tried to control me.” Illinois cringed as he reminisced. “Made the adventure a chore rather than an experience. After it was over I dropped her.”

“Right.” Yancy looked at the top bunk with a thoughtful look. There was no bubbling annoyance in his chest when he heard Illinois talk. Maybe that guard hit him harder than he thought. “Youse one of ‘em adventurers. What’s that mean anyways?”

“Means what it says. I adventure from place to place. Sometimes I work with museums, sometimes I work for my own profit, like any other job.” Even talking about his job made him smile. As bittersweet as the thought was. “It’s what got me arrested though…”

“Oh really? That’s why youse ended up ‘ere?”

Illinois hummed in response. “Why? What do you think I did?”

“I dunno.” Yancy shrugged. “Robbed a place, killed someone… youse can never tell with pretty boy types.” He bit his tongue, already knowing he inflated Illinois’ ego the second he said that.

“Pretty boy? You flatter me, jailbird~” he crooned.

“Oh shut your trap.” Yancy kicked the top bunk, causing Illinois to snicker. “Just sleep already. ‘M tired…”

“Alright, alright,” he responded. After his smile faded, it was silent again. He couldn’t tell if Yancy fell asleep, but he spoke again anyways. “Are you feeling okay though?” 

Yancy didn’t respond right away, affirming his original assumption. However, Yancy was still staring at the top bunk, speechless for a moment. “I’ll live… don’t worry ‘bout it.” 

“You did the right thing back there.”

“I know,” He finally closed his eyes, sighing loudly through his nose, “but thanks. You’s pretty alright, when you’s not annoying as hell at least.”

Illinois snorted, closing his eyes as well. “Right back at you.” 

In the morning, the other prisoners went easy on Yancy. They volunteered to cover his jobs and often gave him reassurances as they passed him by. Yancy, still disoriented, gladly took up on their offers of charity. So that left him and Illinois with nothing to do, and a whole lot of surprising positive outlooks after last night. Made them think twice before throwing punches.

Then a week passed and the tension between them had resided exponentially. Some would say their dynamic was downright pleasant at times. Whenever Illinois found himself in a tight spot, it was Yancy that helped him recover. Likewise, when Yancy found himself at the business end of a baton, it was Illinois that smooth talked him out of it. 

“Ay, Jimmy lay off him,” Yancy snickered after Jimmy not-so-accidently bumped into Illinois. “The only one that can fuck with him is me.”

“Wow, I feel so safe…” Illinois rolled his eyes.

Doesn’t mean they stopped poking fun at each other, though. 

As much as Illinois treasured Yancy’s company, he found his plan of escape get kicked back into motion. He finally was on the prisoner’s good side and saw the uncontrollable force that was a riot. Adventure called for him, and he hated having to hang up for this long. When it was time to hit the hay, he told Yancy everything.

Yancy’s face sunk when he broke the news of his plan. “Youse still wanna leave?” he asked. He jumped down from the top bunk.

Illinois could barely look up at Yancy, but he kept his voice firm. “I can’t stay here, you know that, Yancy. You’re a good man. You’ve got a good thing here, but it’s just not where I belong.”

“Well, I hate to break it to ya, but…” Yancy scratched the back of his neck, “the last guy that tried to escape via riot died. Pretty horribly, too. Are you sure youse wanna take the risk?”

Whatever fear that bubbled up from that statement was quickly pushed down. Illinois nodded his head, flashing a confident smile. “What’s an adventure without a little risk?”

“You’re not giving this up, freebird?”

“I’m afraid not, jailbird.”

Yancy looked him up and down, before giving a short nod. “Alright, I’ll help ya.” He rummaged underneath the bed’s covers and pulled out a blindfold. “Put this on.”

“What?” Illinois looked at the blindfold and then back at Yancy. “Did… did you want me to do something in exchange for this…?”

“What? No, I’m taking you out.” Yancy tilted his head and squinted his eyes. “Y’know, outside? I know a way out without all the fluff.”

“Okay, sure, but what’s with the blindfold?”

“I don’t want youse knowing the way out. It’s a secret.”

“Alright…” Illinois warily gave Yancy one last look before tying the blindfold over his eyes. “Just so you know, you have my full consent to anything.”

“Get your mind outta the gutter. Just follow my exact orders.” Yancy began to guide him out of the cell, picklocking the door like it was nothing.

“Yes sir~” Illinois purred, which earned him a hearty slap to the head.

“Shut up before I regret this.”

Whatever was happening, while unorthodox, felt familiar to Illinois. The jumps, crawls, and nearly impossible stunts. It was no surprise that he could do something like this with his eyes closed. However, he was surprised by how efficient Yancy was with guiding him. 

“One, two, three, one, two, three… jump!”

It reminded him of a dance number. He didn’t expect such elegance from such a brute.

“Alright now… jump and~” Yancy took off his blindfold. “There we go, free as a bird!”

Illinois blinked, out of breath. He looked around and, yep, he stood outside the gates. Yancy stood in front of him on the other side, smiling brightly.

“Christ, we really did it,” he let out a laugh of disbelief. “I don’t know what to say. Thank you, Yancy! I really owe you one.”

Yancy shook his head. “Nah, don’t mention it. Oh, here,” he handed Illinois his hat and gave him car keys. “I remember youse talking about that hat of yours and saw it on our way.”

He stared at the hat for a moment, brushing his thumb over the coarse fabric before putting it on. It fit just like how he remembered. “I missed this thing,” he hummed. “This isn’t my car though.”

“Yeah, it’s that shitty guard’s car. Youse need a ride, yeah? Red Toyota, can’t miss it.”

“Alright then.” Illinois had no complaints, that guy was an asshole anyways. He was already a criminal, so what’s the harm?

“I’d say to visit me, but youse probably get caught again.”

Illinois paused, furrowing his brows. “You’re not coming with me?”

“Me? Go with you? Illinois…” Yancy scratched the back of his neck, looking down. “I shouldn’t. I-I gots my place, youse got yours!”

“That’s a shame,” Illinois sighed. He stepped closer to the gate’s bars until he was face to face with Yancy. “I was hoping to take you out on an adventure, I could really use your talents,” he whispered, as if anyone could listen in.

Yancy made a questioning noise, lifting his head to stare back. “An adventure with youse? Where would we go?”

“Remember how I said I got arrested during one? Well, I have unfinished business there. I think I need a partner to help.” There was no sugarcoating to his words. If he had another opinion he would have been fine that night. And by the looks of it, Yancy was a problem solver. “Are you sure you don’t want to come?” he whined. “I can bring you back here if you want~”

Bring him back? So he didn’t want him to leave everything. Reminded him of a vacation. “I guess that doesn’t sound too bad… I haven’t been outside in a while.” He looked back at the empty prison yard, then looked into Illinois’ inviting eyes. He nodded, short and curt, but he accepted his invitation. “Yeah, I can go with youse! Just this once, though. Better make it worth the trouble.”

“Trust me, I’ll make it worth your time.” He backed away from the gate and began to make his way to the parking lot. “I’ll warm up the car, don’t take too long.”

Illinois started the car and waited, drumming his fingers on the wheel. He was really out, he barely believed it. And he was going to bring the criminal that set him free to his house, which was an… _ interesting _ turn of events. Not that he would complain, he invited him after all. 

In little time, Yancy opened the passager’s door and plopped down. “Let’s get going, yeah?”

“Wow, look at you~" Illinois chimed, starting to drive away. "Jailbird’s now a freebird!”

Yancy laughed. The air between them was calm for once. His eyes were glued to the windows as he stared at the passing trees. Much more lush than in prison, that's for sure. He looked back at Illinois. “What’s with the bird thing?” he suddenly asked.

“You started it." He shrugged. "I just think it fits…  _ jailbird,”  _ Illinois let the title roll off his tongue, snickering a bit. 

Yancy couldn't roll his eyes harder if he tried. “Oh, shut up youse… youse ‘annoying-as-hell’ bird!”

“That’s definitely not a saying.”

“I said shut your trap!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Why do I keep hurting Yancy? I love him I swear. Anyways the final chapter’s gonna be sweet! I hope this isn’t too bad so far. I may write some more stuff of these two if you guys want. This is a learning experience. I love writing Illinois though! What a boi


	3. Freebird

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Illinois is finally out of jail! Immediately, he's eager to start adventuring again, and this time he's accompanied by a new adventuring partner. Yancy isn't sure what to expect out of this endeavour, but he's along for the ride!

The day was beautiful. Birds sang their songs with reckless abandon, the sun shone brightly… 

And Illinois was housing an established criminal. 

Yet, he has never slept better. Waking up in his bed was a dream come true. Putting on basic comfy clothes felt like heaven. There was a pep to his step as he got ready for the day. He was always a morning person, but he never had more energy than today.

In the guest room, Yancy slowly got up and stretched. Clad in a baggy shirt and sweatpants Illinois let him borrow. Prison made him a morning person too, because of routine. However, he had a rough night in the new environment. Even if the bed was something he’d call “one of ‘em fancy, soft beds,'' he had a rocky night. He blamed it on homesickness. The door cracked open and he saw Illinois. 

“Oh, you’re up early,” Illinois said. “Sleep well?”

“Yeah, s’alright I guess,” he replied through a yawn. 

“Must be weird, huh?” Illinois read his mind like a book. “I’m gonna make us breakfast. You can stay here if you want.”

Yacny swung his legs out of the bed. “Nah, nah, I’m already up. What youse gonna make?”

“Whatever didn’t spoil.” He shrugged. Being away for more than a month must’ve been hell for for his food supply. 

When he got to the kitchen he tried to see what he could cook. There weren’t many options, but he could figure something out. “You alright with bacon and eggs?” He asked as Yancy trailed after him. 

“I’ll eat anything. Just make it edible.” Yancy sat down by the kitchen aisles and watched Illinois cook. The kitchen was big, everything was. Illinois lived in a fancy house in the middle of nowhere. A house that could only be brought with the riches he collected during his adventures. Awfully big for one person, some might say, but he was out so often he barely noticed.

“Oh, you don’t have to worry about that. I’m a natural cook,” he flaunted. “It’ll be better than what they gave us in prison. Anything’s better than that slob…”

“Watch ya mouth,” Yancy warned. “Youse were there for a month, barely got the experience.”

“I think I’ll pass…” 

“I didn’t even see ya in solitary.” Yancy shivered at the thought of the punishment. “Would’ve been funny to see a freebird all caged up,” he snickered.

Illinois flicked water at the other. “I already regret bringing you.”

“That’s rude! And ‘ere I thought we’s bonded… let bygones be bygones!”

“Well, I guess that’s true,” Illinois hummed. “I’d much rather hit _ on _you than hit you~” He looked at Yancy briefly to shoot him a wink.

“I - wha…?” Yancy stuttered, staring wide eyed at Illinois as he cooked. Suddenly his throat felt dry and he couldn’t find anything to respond with. After a few moments, Illinois laughed and broke the silence. 

“Oh, the jailbird _ can _stop singing? Glad to know.”

“You asshole!” Yancy snapped. Masking his bashfulness with an exaggerated pout, he cast his eyes downward. “Just… what the hell are we’s gonna do anyways? Youse wanted to adventure, yeah?” 

“We’ll get to that don’t you worry.” The pan sizzled as Illinois put in the bacon. A knowing smile made its way to his face as he heard the panic in Yancy’s voice. “We’ll enjoy breakfast, then get ready to set off.” He glanced over at him again. “You should wear something different. You can borrow something else from my closet.”

“What’s wrong with my regular clothes?”

“They’re _ prison _clothes. If police come by, we’ll get arrested again,” Illinois sighed. “Just go to my closet, you look about my size anyways. Play dress up and I’ll finish this.” Just for fun, and because he was a little shit, he looked at Yancy again and gave him another wink. “Pick out something pretty~”

“Sh-Shut up!” Yancy stuttered, pushing himself away from the counter and storming off. 

Like the rest of the house, Illinois’ closet was fairly big. Lots of the clothes looked practical for adventuring, some were for fancy occasions. As Yancy browsed through the selections, he found an outfit that made him audibly gasp. He didn’t care if it wasn’t the most practical, he _ needed _to wear this one. He looked at himself in the mirror, smoothing out the jacket before making his way back to the kitchen.

“Ay, freebird!” he called out. “Why do youse have this?”

Illinois turned to look at him, blatantly checking him out with an up and down look. He picked out a leather jacket, white shirt, and black pants. “You know, I was expecting you to pick that.”

“Youse didn’t answer my question.” 

“I had to ride with a biker gang for one of my missions. The jacket costs a lot so I kept it,” Illinois explained. “You don’t look half bad in it.”

“Damn right,” Yancy boasted. “Haven’t wore something like this in forever. Youse got good taste, I bet I look better than youse in this, though.”

“Well, it’s not really my style.” He plated the food while Yancy sat down again. “I do look good in everything, of course.” His usual outfit worked well for him, in a practical sense and a social sense. Yancy eagerly took the plate of food as he sat down himself. “Bon appetit.”

“So,” Yancy started, talking through mouthfuls of food, “can youse tell me where we goin’ now?”

“With pleasure.”

The day was still young when they reached their destination. Not like they could tell, because they had travelled to a cave. Ancient carvings decorated the walls, depicting rituals and unknown cultures.

Yancy let out a low whistle as he looked around. “Ain’t this something?”

“Better than any museum,” Illinois hummed. He lead the charge deeper into the cave, analyzing his surroundings with a careful eye. “Just like how I remember it. Glad to see those brutes that took me away didn’t mess with anything.”

“Yeah, theys only messed wit’ youse,” Yancy laughed. The idea of Illinois being taken away by police amused him greatly. He wished he was there to see it. Now _ that _would have been an adventure.

At first, their path seemed like a straightforward cakewalk. Yancy was about to say how bored he was before Illinois stuck out his arm to stop him.

“Now, for this next part,” Illinois reached in his bag and pulled out a blindfold, “I’m gonna need you to wear this.”

Yancy stared deadpan. “You’re fucking wit’ me, yeah? Youse seriously want pay back for that?”

The blindfold was already being wrapped around his head, he didn’t protest. “Yes and no,” Illinois answered, a smug smile no doubtedly plastered on his face. “You’ve never done this before since you’re always all cooped up, jailbird. So it’s up to me to make sure you stay safe.”

“Youse not gonna kill me?”

“I’d never.” He placed his hands on Yancy’s shoulders and lead him further into the cave. “Just follow my lead.”

The next part of the cave was dangerous. Traps galore. Any wrong move and it’d be game over. Any bit of panic and Illinois would have to bring Yancy back to the jail in a body bag. As much as he disliked the guy ---could he even say that anymore?--- he didn’t deserve a gruesome end. Ignorance was bliss, in this case. Yancy would be better off not knowing what death traps he was walking through.

“I’m going to need you to calm down, okay? Don’t hesitate from this pace. Free your mind from any panic.”

“Youse sound like a motivational speaker,” Yancy snickered. As they continued walking, a spike trap lunged forward just a few inches shy from his chest. “What was that?”

“Nothing, nothing, don’t worry about it.” It wasn’t quiet anymore. The sounds of metal grinding against rock echoed throughout the walls. Arrows sliced through the air inches behind them. Illinois felt Yancy falter at the sounds. 

“Illinois… what’s going on?” He didn’t outright stop their pace, but he resisted slightly against Illinois’ push.

A harder push forward made Yancy narrowly miss another spike trap. Illinois’ eyes widen. “I need you to trust me, Yancy. Follow my pace.” His voice was stern, yet calm. An axe appeared from the walls, barely grazing his arm in a single swing. “Think of something else. Distract your mind and let me handle everything.”

Yancy gave a short nod. A soft hum then began to juxtapose the harsh weaponry. He began to hum a familiar tune that everyone in the prison heard at least once. 

“I don’t wanna be free~” Yancy started, singing much softer than usual, but who could blame him.

Illinois smiled. Already he felt Yancy loosen up as they continued their walk. “Leave me in luxury~” he continued, voice stronger but unpracticed. The song went against all his values, but damn was it catchy. 

By the time they reached the end of the song, they were homefree. Illinois untied the blindfold and gave Yancy a pat on the shoulder.

“Good job, jailbird! You’re a natural,” he praised. Not a single scratch on Yancy and only a little cut on his arm. Could’ve been a perfect run, but not bad.

Yancy blinked once he could see again. He looked back at where they were and paled. “What the fuck?!” He looked back at Illinois with frantic eyes. “We _ walked _through that?!”

“See? This is why you needed the blindfold!”

“How the fuck am I alive?!”

Yancy was only met with a chuckle from the other. Illinois grabbed his arm and began to walk again. “Enough about that! We’re only getting started,” he mused, clearly enjoying his reaction. 

“Oh, I’m gonna die, aren’t I?” Yancy asked, breathless. In his disbelieved daze he followed obediently. 

“I promised you that I’ll return you safe and sound, didn’t I? I’m not one to break a promise.” While his tone was playful, there was sincerity in his words. Yancy gave another silent nod and they continued further into the cave. 

Eventually they stood before a huge chasm blocking their path. Illinois went over to a pile of nearby rocks and rummaged through them, pulling out an odd statue from the rumble. 

“This is where I got caught,” he said. “My mission was to return this artifact,” he pointed to the statue, brushing away the dirt, “It’s a wonder how those brutes managed to find me, but I bet someone ratted me out.”

Yancy listened while staring down at the dark abyss. He threw a rock into it. He didn’t hear it hit the bottom. 

“How did they make it through… _ that?” _ He gestured towards the death hallway they strolled through.

“Oh, they barely made it. They sent a whole team after me, only two made it out. Gave me enough time to hide the artifact, but not enough time to figure this out,” he explained, gesturing to the chasm.

Yancy shivered when he looked back at the dark abyss. There was no way in hell they could jump over it, so they would have to scale the rocky walls. Surprisingly, Yancy found a path fairly quickly. He recalled scaling a wall like this when escaping the prison. 

“1, 2, 3… 1, 2, 3… 1, 2, 3, 4…”

Illinois watched in awe as Yancy got to work. He repeated the mantra quietly as he fearlessly scaled the wall, never faltering once. In no time, he was on the other side. 

There was a shine to his eyes as Yancy bounced on the balls of his feet. Probably adrenaline in technical terms, but Illinois always referred to it as “the spark of adventure”. Illinois hooked his thumbs on the loops of his belt, trying to remember the exact steps Yancy took.

“That was easy!” Yancy exclaimed. “Should be alright for youse, yeah? If you can survive all that then you can do this.”

“Yeah…” Illinois swallowed harshly. “Yeah, I’ll be fine,” he reassured himself, putting the artifact in his bag. The elegance Yancy had scaling the wall was nowhere near present in Illinois’ recreation. Nearly every thought in his head was a version of _ how the hell did he do that? _but he tried his best to repeat the mantra Yancy created.

For a minute, everything seemed fine and he was nearly done. Yancy stood close near the edge, carefully watching his footing. Then a rock broke loose under his feet.

“Shit-!” Illinois yelped as he slipped. He didn’t react fast enough to regain his composure, but Yancy reacted fast enough to grab his arm and pull him to stable ground. Yancy pulled him close to his chest with a death grip on his wrist. Much better than death at the bottom of the chasm.

“Youse alright?” Yancy asked, voice laced with concern and fear. 

Illinois gave a short nod in return. “I’m alright now.” The two backed away from the edge and regained their breath. “Thanks for saving me. Told you a partner would come in handy for this.”

“To make sure your dumbass doesn’t die, sure.” The both of them laughed, airy with disbelief. At least the rest of their path was peaceful. Great for calming down after nearly dying and watching someone nearly die. 

From his bag, Illinois pulled out the artifact again to examine. Yancy grabbed it from his hands before he could realize.

“What’s this thing anyways?” The statue looked to be pure crystal, depicting a long forgotten idol.

“Easy there,” Illinois snickered. “It’s the heart of this place, stole it from a pirate ship that were gonna sell it to make a quick buck, but… well,” he looked around at the walls. Only a careful eye like his could tell how unstable this place was because of its absence, “taking it is dangerous. I’m surprised whatever spirits cursing this place didn’t wreak havoc while I was gone.”

“Oh.” Yancy quickly handed off the statue to Illinois, wiping his hands on his pants. “Didn’t realize.”

A loud laugh echoed as Illinois giggled at Yancy’s reaction. He tossed the statue between his hands and continued to talk casually. “Just another day in the life! I could tell you so many stories, if only we had the time,” he trailed off.

Ahead of them were two pedestals illuminated by a crystal light. 

“Looks like the place to return this,” Illinois hummed.

“Which one is it?”

Illinois hooked his thumb in his belt. “That’s a good question.” He pondered to himself, looking at Yancy and the statue. “Why don’t you chose?”

“Me?!” Yancy gasped. “Why do I gotta do it? What if I choose wrong?”

“Come on, what’s an adventure without a little risk? What are you afraid of?”

Yancy stared at him deadpanned. “Dying.”

“Fair point,” Illinois nodded, “But I’m just as blind as you are, jailbird. So let’s take the gamble.”

“Alright…” Yancy scratched the back of his neck as his examined the pedestals. He pointed at the one on the left. “Do that one.”

None of them breathed as Illinois placed that statue slowly. “You know, I would’ve picked that one too.”

“So did I pick right?”

“I think so-” His thoughts were interrupted by a loud thud. Then, by the sound of a boulder rolling towards them. They looked at the dark hallway in front of them with wide eyes. He looked back at Yancy. “Run.”

They didn’t dare to look back, running a full sprint. A boulder big enough to barely fit within the cave’s walls was fast approaching. Fully intent on crushing them for their mistake. Yancy was swearing like a sailor as he ran. Illinois’ mind was racing just as quickly as he was running. 

“Wait, Illinois!” He realized something grave. “The hole! We can’t fuckin’ pass that!” In the distance, they saw the chasm, just as intimidating as before. 

If it was possible, Illinois’ eyes widened more. He looked desperately for any solutions. Then he saw it.

He grabbed Yancy’s arm and shoved him in a small crevice broken in the wall. While a tight fit, he managed to squeeze himself in too. Now chest to chest, they watched the boulder pass the mouth of the hole in suffocating silence. There was a loud thud following as it fell into the chasm. As if the boulder was going to magically get out of the chasm, they kept their gazes at the crevice’s opening for a bit longer. With how close their were, they could feel the heavy rise and fall of their chests.

“Are you alright?” Illinois asked. 

At first, Yancy only replied with an under the breath “Holy fuck…” Afterwards, he did his best to clear his throat and nodded. “Yeah, I’m alright now.”

He turned to look at Yancy, only to realize how claustrophobic of a space they were in. They were nearly nose to nose, and both were too aware of that fact. “Oh. Hey there,” he said awkwardly. A small smile made its way to the adventurer’s lips, a smile he usually shined after barely dodging certain death. “Let’s get out of here.” He squeezed his way out of the hole and offered a hand to Yancy. 

Yancy brushed off the dirt on him. He was a bit scuffed, being slammed into a tight corner and all, but overall he was alive and well. Though being up close and personal with his friend ---could he call him that?--- was… an experience. “Damn, youse gonna kiss me or something? Way too close, freebird.”

“What? You’d rather kiss the boulder? I saved your life.”

“Guess we’re even then.” Yancy fidgeted. “So... what now?”

“We should head back and put that statue in the right place this time.” Illinois nodded, shaking off the dirt on his hat. “Doubt the spirits are satisfied, after all.”

The trek back to the pedestals was quiet. What _ could _ they say after nearly being crushed to death? When they got back, the statue stood untouched where Illinois left it.

“I swear if I gotta run like that again…” Yancy mumbled under his breath while Illinois picked it up. 

“Don’t worry,” Illinois reassured, placing it on the other pedestal. “There usually isn’t a second boulder.”

For a moment, nothing happened. The hairs on the back of their necks stood up in anticipation.

From behind them, the walls cracked open with an ugly sound on rock against rock. Their attention snapped towards the sound. Yancy jumped, ready to run again, but Illinois held him back. The new passage revealed a staircase leading to the surface.

Illinois’ shoulders slumped. “What, no reward? Lame.”

“Lame?!” Yancy gasped, staring at Illinois like he was crazy. “Christ, I think I’ve had enough adventure for today. I wanna get the hell outta here.”

“Alright, alright…” Illinois gave a lopsided smile, clearly tired. He took off his hat and ran his hand through his hair with a heavy sigh. “But you have to admit, that was pretty fun, wasn’t it?” 

Yancy was already walking towards the staircase. He thought to himself for a moment. Yeah, he almost died multiple times, but goddamn was that a thrill. He legs wanted to give out at any moment, his heart pumped and made his ears ring, and he was scuffed and dirty as all hell. Yet, he has never felt more alive. 

“Y’know what? Yeah, youse right! Must be fun to do that all the time, yeah?”

Illinois gave him a pat on the shoulder. The two of them began to walk out of the cave. “You have no idea.” 

Maybe he was getting used to the bed, maybe he was so tired that he could sleep on anything, but Yancy slept like a baby when they got back to Illinois’ house. During the next day, they both slept well into the afternoon.

Illinois was the first to wake up. He made oatmeal for the two of them and waited for Yancy. Despite the sun shining, the day felt somber for him. For once he found an adventure partner that didn’t die on the first trap, and he was going to leave him. Just like all the rest. All he could do was accept it at this point. Yancy had his own responsibilities and his own life, it’d be cruel for Illinois to keep him from that.

“Mornin’, freebird,” Yancy greeted as he walked in the kitchen. He put on the leather jacket again after he woke up.

“Good morning, sleepyhead,” Illinois snickered at Yancy’s tired state. Rather than his usual slicked back hair, he had a messy bedhead. “You really like that jacket, hm? What, did you sleep in it?”

Yancy shrugged. “Might as well wear it now. Not like I can again.”

“That’s true.” Illinois picked at his bowl then looked Yancy in the eyes. “So you’re still going back?” he asked, tone disappointed. 

Somehow, Yancy didn’t falter under his gaze. He nodded. “Didn’t even say goodbye to the others, y’know? It was fun while it lasted, though. This was nice.”

“I’m glad you thought so. You were a natural yesterday so, lemme give you something.” He reached in his pocket and pulled out a flip phone. “I’m not going to stop you from leaving, but if you ever want some fresh air just give me a call. I’ll be more than happy to let you out of your cage for a bit, jailbird.”

The phone was slid over to Yancy, who grabbed it in surprise. “Woah… Thank youse!” He let out an airy laugh. “I’ll be sure to call youse! Hopefully I can hide this when I get back.”

“Just do your best, I’d love another adventure with you,” he said, sincere. Then, he flashed a smile as he thought of something. “And if it helps when you get back, maybe say I kidnapped you or something. So you won’t get punished.”

“Oh yeah? Like I’m your lil’ damsel in distress? Hold on.” Yancy cleared his throat and faked an exaggerated hurt expression. “Oh, w-warden-!” he gasped and did his best to quiver his lip, “It was so scary, youse have no idea! He was such a brute a-and I couldn’t stop him! Heavens know I tried…”

Illinois threw his head back in laughter. “Dear god…”

Yancy broke his facade slightly to snicker, only to return to his dramatic state. “He’s was out for blood I tells ya! He’s held me hostage for fun and was all like,” Yancy then proceeded to do the worst impression of Illinois’ voice, “That’ll teach them to lock me up! You’ll never escape me~”

It sounded like an oversexualized villian that was played by someone who clearly couldn’t get rid of their accent. Illinois laughed even harder, voice going up a pitch in volume. 

“Is _ that _what I sound like to you?! I’m insulted!” He snorted. 

Yancy gripped the table for support, joining in on the laughter. “Well, yeah! I sound just like youse!”

“You better pray that that performance gets you out of trouble, you asshole!” Illinois wheezed, trying to catch his breath. He covered his mouth to hide a sudden mischievous smile. “Youse better watch ya mouth.” He tried his best to do that raspy accent that Yancy had, but failed horribly. 

Yancy visibly cringed as he giggled. “Never do that again.” 

“Right back at ya,” he continued to talk like a West Side Story reject, snickering.

A couple more hours passed with the two of them talking their heads off. Lots of stories of adventures from Illinois, and lots of stories of prison from Yancy. Though eventually, Yancy began to get ready to leave. He changed back to his prison clothes and gave back the jacket to Illinois.

“If you ever come back here,” Illinois started, hanging up the jacket, “This jacket and I will be waiting with a warm welcome.”

“Aw~” Yancy gave a bashful smile, scratching the back of his neck while looking down. He let out a heavy sigh and looked back at Illinois. “C’mere, freebird!”

Next thing Illinois knew, he was being pulled into a tight hug. He returned the gesture and hugged back just as tight. They lingered for a moment, the realization that they’d actually miss each other set in. Who would have thought?

“I’ll be sure to take youse up on that offer.” Yancy pulled back and gave him a heart pat on the shoulder. “Youse not gettin’ rid of me that easily, ya hear?”

“I would hope not.”

Yancy sighed and stepped back. He made his way out the front door. The car keys he stole still in his possession, so at least he had a way back. Illinois stood by the door frame, ignoring the ache in his chest as he watched him walk away. 

His mind still raced with things to talk about, but they could wait. He furrowed his brows as he saw the car, turning back to Illinois one more time. “And uh, Illinois?”

“Yes?”

He swallowed his pride and muttered his next sentence, abnormally quiet, but Illinois could hear it loud and clear. “Youse pretty alright.”

Illinois huffed and rolled his eyes. “When I’m not annoying as hell?”

“Nah, I think it builds character.” He shrugged. “Youse a good man.”

Illinois felt his heart ache more at that comment, actually taken aback. “Yancy…” he gave an airy chuckle, shaking his head with a small smile. “You’re a good man, too. I’m glad I met you.”

It looked like Yancy had more to say, but decided against it. His throat tightened more as he stepped closer to the car. He cast one more look back at Illinois. “Stay safe, okay freebird?”

“Likewise, jailbird. Take care of yourself,” 

Yancy nodded and finally got in the car. Illinois watched him drive away, offering one last wave goodbye. 

He shut the door behind him, now alone in his quiet house. He was a free man at least, but what now? He had lost many, _ many _partners in his time, but this one struck a chord. Well, Yancy did have his number, so he could call at any time. He hoped that he was serious about keeping in touch.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my, what an adventure! This was fun to write! Now, a friend of mine is very adamant that I’m setting these two up to be a couple in the future. That wasn’t necessarily my original intention, I just seem to have an affinity to add chemistry between characters. And I may have exaggerated the tension to mess with her, but hey, that just makes for interesting dynamics. Truthfully, I have no preference either or, so if you want them to be a couple just say so in the comments! I’ll be more than happy to oblige.

**Author's Note:**

> Tumblr: https://lamiasluck.tumblr.com


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